Newspaper Column – The Cornishman – 07/04/25

• The US President seems content to undermine international relations and the ‘rules-based World order’. The rest of the world are left to calm markets and find rational solutions, while the toys are thrown out of the White House playpen. The UK must work to establish an international ‘Coalition of the Willing’.  

The only alternative is to let Trump dictate the way we live our lives, how we manage our public services and probably whether our economy sinks or swims.

Trump’s decision is once again based on a fictional, nursery-level comprehension of tariffs. He claims his actions are “reciprocal”. But he’s confused trade TARIFF with trade DEFICIT.  

• Thanks to fellow Cornish MPs and Council officials for joining me at a successful meeting with Housing Minister, Matthew Pennycook MP, last week. 

We’ll now work closely with government officials to forge a programme to deliver much-needed affordable homes before the end of this parliament and to take appropriate action to prevent our vital homes from being used for ‘tax-efficient’ property investment.  

As I constantly repeat, this is not motivated by the politics of envy but the politics of justice. Most people are aghast to learn there’s a tax loophole which meant that more than £500m of taxpayers’ money has been given to holiday home owners in Cornwall alone in the last 10 years, and yet less than half that amount has been invested in much-needed first homes for locals. The Small Business Rate Relief (SBRR) tax loophole alone resulted in industrial level flipping of second homes to re-register as holiday homes to avoid Council tax, apply for SBRR and pay nothing. Needless to say, and to again repeat, we should not disapply rate relief to those genuine holiday letting businesses which have planning occupancy restrictions which mean the properties could not be used for permanent occupancy as a home for locals.  

• I was privileged to visit the UK’s first Geothermal power Station at United Downs near Redruth this week. It will be going live soon. Producing enough low carbon electricity to power over 5,000 homes. I well remember the excellent work undertaken by the then “Hot Rock” project at Rosemanowes, near Longdowns over 30 years ago. Technology takes time to develop. This is good progress.  

• Cold-blooded slaughter and withholding of humanitarian aid continues in Gaza. Many locals are understandably distressed by the news. Over 60,000 (mostly Palestinian women and children) have been killed since October 7th 2023. 

Our government should do more to call this out; stop arming Israel’s far-right regime, admit they’re breaching international law, deploy sanctions and back a boycott. Netanyahu, must stop falsely claiming his murderous actions have anything to do with “self-defence”. 

There must be an immediate release of all hostages; the remaining hostages held by Hamas, and the two million Palestinians held captive in Gaza by the IDF.